The Uruk'hai Lurtz is a special beast, not only because he was bigger and smarter than his fellows, and every one of the myriad and numerous Orcs cowered before him. You'd think one so massive would be eating all the time, but he was mysteriously non-imbibing when it came to food. He never complained when rations were only "maggoty bread"; in fact, none of the Uruk'hai or Orcs ever saw him eat. It was whispered among each group that Lurtz was the recipient of very special magic, indeed ...

In fact, Lurtz was the keeper of a special king of magic ... like other animals of massive size, Lurtz did not eat like scavengers do. Like bees, the Uruk'hai could become "leader types" if they are fed particular substances in the pupae stage. Lurtz's pre-natal diet was composed of a rich cream soup, and nothing else. It created the unique creature, but there was a problem with it  Lurtz could imbibe in nothing else for the rest of his life. To not do so would mean death or worse, turning into an Orc!

So he carried a "base" with him and added other ingredients as he could get them to make the soup. Not that he complained  it was simply the best soup anyone had ever eaten. After his death, some of the Rohan found his pack and were surprised at its contents and the formula. Fighting creatures of the dark was hungry work, and following the recipe Lurtz had carried everywhere with him, a day's worth of "base" fed all the riders. The soup was so nourishing and rich that the Rohan were able to "clean up" after the battle and be off before sunrise, without the benefit of any sleep.

(It might be thought that Lurtz's head was put on a pike as a display of victory and aggression. Actually, it was in tribute to the recipe he carried; the riders felt it was the least they could do!)

Base

¾ cup butter (12 tablespoons / 335 g / 1½ sticks)

¾ cup flour

1 cup milk, warm

2 cups chicken stock, hot

1 cup cream, warm

To make the base, in a thick-bottomed pot, melt the butter and stir in the flour over medium-low heat. Keep stirring and cooking till the mixture browns and smells like nuts. Using a small to medium sized whisk, beat in the chicken stock and cream, so that the mixture is not lumpy. Cook for 10 minutes with stirring till the mixture is smooth and thick like a gravy. At this point, it can be set aside to cool, then stored in the refrigerator or freezer, sealed. Or go on with the rest of the recipe.

If the base is cold, place in a large pot and heat it up, with stirring, till it's hot again. Whisk or beat in the chicken stock and bring the mixture to a boil. Add the chicken meat, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Makes about 2 quarts or 8 cups of soup.

* Instead of cooked chicken meat (or maybe in addition to), you can add any of the following:

Optional Add-ins

corn kernals or cream corn

mushrooms, sliced  sautéed or raw

cooked pork or turkey, cut up

And, if you use less chicken stock in making the soup, this also makes an excellent base for a casserole or pot pie!

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